Category: Preschool Reads

All the Things My Grandpa Has Done, by Noé Carlain/Illustrated by Ronan Badel, (June 2025, Schiffer Kids), $14.99, ISBN: 9780764369186

Ages 3-6

A silly grandpa shares fun-loving of stories with his grandson who begins with the question, “Tell me Grandpa, did you have a grandpa?” Grandpa responds with a delightful series of tales of grandpas who were circus performers, buccaneers, even prehistoric men, all with incredible feats to their credit. There was the grandpa from Gaul whose prolific mustache tripped Julius Caesar’s horse and functioned as a swing for his grandchildren in peacetime; the human cannonball who wanted to impress a girl so he used too much gunpowder and “boom! No one ever saw him again” (which makes one wonder how he became a grandfather), the knight who dropped a mace on his foot so loudly that “even Sleeping Beauty woke up with a jolt”. Grandpa has big plans for his grandson’s future line, too; future grandchildren will fly rockets and go to school on the moon. Satisfied with his impressive family line, the boy goes out to play, leaving Grandpa to return to his newspaper. It’s a quiet, sweet story about the playful love between a grandfather and grandson. Grandpa’s movements are effusive as he recollects grandpas through history and the red of Grandpa’s easy chair makes its way into other Grandpa memories, like a flying machine, a knight’s pageantry, a red wagon, and more. A fun addition to storytime collections and a good purchase for Grandparents Day in September. All the Things My Grandpa Has Done was originally published in French in 2017.

All the Things My Grandma Has Done, by Noé Carlain/Illustrated by Ronan Badel, (June 2025, Schiffer Kids), $14.99, ISBN: 9780764369179

Ages 3-6

Grandmas have tall tales, too. A young girl sits between her two grandmothers and asks if they had grandmas when they were little, prompting stories about adventurous grandmothers through history. Grandmothers were expert horseback riders and bakers; the first to bungee jump (using grandpa’s suspenders!) and swimmers; resistance fighters and trend-setters. One grandmother was set to be an astronaut until the powers that be chose a man at the last minute, but don’t worry: another grandmother was chosen by aliens “to represent humanity at an intergalactic congress. She took the opportunity to teach them some manners”. So many groundbreaking Nanas, and each have passed on gifts to their youngest granddaughter. Each grandmother story comes with a gift passed on, from not being afraid of thunderstorms to never picking one’s nose; not being afraid of heights and knowing that beauty doesn’t come from jewelry.  In a smile and wink to the reader, the girl closes the story by noting that her “granny and grandma are the best at telling stories!” and the two grannies share a proud smile. A delightful read for grandparents and grandchildren, with each grandmother dressed in style and bearing the shape of her respective family line. It’s an empowering and cheerful read that shows all kids that grandmas can do it all. Originally published in 2012 in French, All the Things My Grandma Has Done is part of Carlain and Badel’s All of the Things series, including All of the Things Santa Claus Will Never Do, All of the Things a Teacher Will Never Say, and more.